The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph VenningI could give a long list or catalogue of the animals sinners are likened to, showingwhere the parallel or similarity holds. The wicked tyrannical rulers of the world arecompared to a roaring lion and a ranging bear (Proverbs 28.15): they have no pity,but make a prey of all to whom they come near. Hypocrites are like vipers(Matthew 23.33). Herod was called a fox, not only for his craft and cunning, but forhunting after the life of the Lamb, Christ Jesus. Thus some sinners are like someanimals and some like others, but there are two animals to which all sinners arelikened: the goat and the dog.a. Sinners are called goats (Matthew 25.32,33): He shall set the sheep, that is, thegodly on his right hand, and the goats, that is, the wicked on his left. There are twoor three things which naturalists observe concerning goats, in which the wicked arelike them.(1) Goats are very lascivious, wanton and lustful. Sinners are so too: the lust of theflesh, and the lust of the eye are the things they are taken with (1 John 2.16). Tothese they give themselves up. The Apostle says, Among whom we all had ourconversation in the lusts of the flesh (Ephesians 2.3), and served divers lusts (Titus3.3). In this they are like goats.(2) Goats are stinking animals. A goatish smell is a stinking smell, and to smell ofor like the goat is to have a very strong, unsavoury and stinking scent. Likewise thewicked are in abomination to the Lord, a very stink in his nostrils.(3) Goats are very bold and adventurous animals. They climb rocks and precipicesto browse and feed on what they can get with hazard. In this sinners are like themtoo; they run risks and many dangerous adventures for a little, indeed, nosatisfaction. They venture peace, conscience, life, soul and all, to get that which isnot bread (Isaiah 55. 2).b. Sinners are likened to dogs. I shall not make divisions in this nor pursue themetaphor into details, of which a little was said before. I will only show that thoughit was more usual with the Jews to call the Gentiles dogs, and our Saviour spoke intheir language when he told the woman that it was not meet to take the children'sbread and cast it to dogs (Matthew 15.26), yet it is a common name for sinners,whether Jews or Gentiles, to all without God and Christ; for without are dogs(Revelation 22.15).All in all then, it is only too clear and evident what mischief sin has done man inthus degrading him, by making him a fool, an animal and a monster. And still thisis not all.(v) Sin has separated man from God in a moral sense. Though by nature we are hisoffspring and 'in him we live, and move, and have our being' (Acts 17.28), yetmorally and spiritually sinners are separated from God and are without God. This isa great injury; indeed, it is the greatest. For since God is man's chiefest good, tobe separated from him must be his greatest evil and loss. There was always a verygreat disproportion and distance between God and man, God the Creator and manthe creature, God Infinite and man finite, but this was no misery to man. It is sin,30